Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: thirstiness, dryness, parched, craving, strong desire, longing, yearning, avidity, hunger, voracity, keenness, eagerness, lust, appetite, passion, love, crave, want, covet, desire, hunger for/after, lust for/after, hanker for/after, have one's heart set on

Antonyms: aversion, distaste, apathy, dislike, hatred, antipathy, disgust, disregard, abhorrence, acrimony, wet, animosity, animus, antagonism, bad feeling, bitterness, be averse to, detestation

Showing 651 to 675 of 1199 results

651. When Jesus Comes to Church

Mark 11:27-33

Sermon

Michael Milton

... sin that hides in our hearts. When the brilliant light of Christ penetrates the cabinet to our hearts, it reveals a place in which a million black sins live and are breeding in the darkness. The human heart is often a place of greed, of lust, of hatred. There are true believers who yet harbor in the cabinets of their lives, dark secrets, untold stories of bitterness and refusal to forgive. You would not expect that in a temple. You would not expect that in the church. But there are unbelievers in the church ...

652. A Friend in Low Places

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... our innocence. We start independently making decisions on our own. We will make some decisions out of ignorance, and we can't be blamed really for the consequences of those decisions. But we will also make many decisions out of pride, or fear, or hatred, or selfishness, or jealously, or revenge, and there will be consequences to those decisions. Somebody will pay for those decisions. Sometimes we will pay for them. But as often as not, somebody else will pay for them, and that is when we lose our innocence ...

653. A Reassuring Prophecy

Isaiah 7:10-16

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... and come down” (Isaiah 64:1). When we contemplate the evil and violence in our world, that is often our plea — for God to come down and to set things right. We need the power of God that can put down tyrants, the love of God that can replace hatred with mercy, the forgiveness of God that can wipe out all the guilty past and restore our hearts and the hearts of all human beings to peace and goodness. And the message at this Christmastime is that God has answered our plea; he has sent us a Savior to ...

654. Out of Conflict

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

James L. Killen

... work through conflicts giving attention to the needs of the other, as well as to our own needs. And, when there is a real hurt or a real danger, it will require great faith to take whatever defensive action must be taken without falling into a hatred that will make enemies forever. The process of resolving conflict is hard work. It begins with knowing who we are and with affirming others. Does all of that sound unrealistic? It is not. It happens. It is not differences that cause conflicts. We can think of ...

655. Can You Hear Me Now?

Exodus 3:1-15

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... 3:7-9). Here God reveals the meaning of the vision and the audition at the bush and declares God's purpose for Israel. The Israelites have been groaning so loudly that the Lord of the heavens and the earth hears their groanings and acts. God's hatred of oppression and concern for justice runs through the Old Testament like a recurring theme in a symphony. The Psalms sing of it. The prophets decry it. The greatest salvation act in the Old Testament -- the freeing of the Hebrews in bondage -- is born out of ...

656. Ten Friends Drive Us to the Promise

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... " (Matthew 5:21-22a). "In Christ, God gives more than commands. He soaks up our resentments, refusing to deal with us on the basis of an eye for an eye. Instead of returning curse for curse, God blesses ... Jesus steps in the way. 'Look at what hatred did to me,' he says, pointing to his hands and side. 'You're not a child of resentment, but one of mine, living in the hope of the resurrection.' "4 In the Sixth Commandment God places the sexual relationship under special protection. Its purpose is twofold ...

657. Strong Medicine

Judges 4:1-7

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... and souls? No wonder the lectionary committee doesn't want us to read too much of this. With all of the violence in the world already, who needs a Bible story about a tent stake through the brain? Don't too many people already use religion to justify hatred and violence? Besides, doesn't Jael deceive Sisera, urging him to have no fear? We can take the book of Judges only in small doses, and even then, we have to mix it carefully. We have to blend in some other parts of the scriptures, because straight ...

658. A Gift for You

Romans 1:1-7

Sermon

James L. Killen

... from being able to like ourselves, or the anxieties that make us afraid to venture out into life and relationships, or the selfish ambitions that make slaves of us and drive us mercilessly, or the bitterness that makes all of life taste bad, or the hatreds that could make us do destructive things. To get free from those things can make a big difference in our lives. But the freedom that we gain through the Christian faith is not primarily freedom from something. It is primarily freedom for something. It is ...

659. Dealing with Criticism

1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Sermon

James L. Killen

... 12:21). Be ready to pay the price for decisive action. On the night before he died, Jesus told his disciples many things to prepare them to carry on the work that they had begun together. Among those things was the warning that they would encounter opposition and hatred. He said, "If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world - therefore ...

660. Taking You Up with Him

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... get tired and worn out. Sometimes it seems like we've been robbed of all hope. We often question the meaning and purpose of life itself. That's why God has given us each other in communion with Christ Jesus. Together, we can see above the pain, the hatred, the mistrust, and the violence that goes on all around us. Together, we can reach up to find the strength to endure and the spirit to persevere. Together, we can find the joy in living that God intended for us. Together, Jesus has taken us all to another ...

661. King of the Mountain

1 Peter 3:13-22

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... , there's no room for Jesus and we have to push him off once again. There are all kinds of things that interfere with Christ's lordship in our lives, and those things can change depending on the stage of our lives we are in. Sex, addictions, greed, hatred, anger, relationships, jobs, ambition, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes the lord of our life can change on a daily basis. Jesus might be there for a while, but like an ongoing game of "king of the mountain," he is pushed from dominance to allow some ...

662. Always?

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Rick Brand

... two ten Boom sisters struggle with the work of faith to include those fingers in their understanding of meaning. But their hope is not built on the prison surroundings, but on the cross and on the Christ who was God enduring our pain, who endured the same hatred and cruelty. The patience of hope is built on the incarnation and so it remains steadfast through all the darkness and the sorrow. Betsie dies with the affirmation on her own lips, "No pit is so deep that God is not deeper." The steadfast hope in ...

663. Landing Instructions

Isaiah 40:25-31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... landing instructions we turn to the Bible. That is what the Bible gives us. The Bible has the same reality about life as the Greeks. The Bible warns us that life can be tough, and there will be pain and sorrow, there will be betrayal and infidelity, and violence and hatred, all the things you and I know so well. But it says, nevertheless, you were created to fly. God created you that way, and God wants you to soar to the highest, to know the very best in your life. If the crash comes in your life, then God ...

664. Leave No Child Behind

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... expelled from the country. In her autobiography, as the plane took off from Chile to bring her home, she wrote, "I looked down in sadness and longing at the long, narrow strip of land that is Chile, at the land where war and peace, riches and destitution, hatred and love, live side by side, and where paradoxically I, in losing my life, had found it again." 1 For the sake of the poor. For the sake of children. For the sake of Jesus. And, perhaps, for your sake, too. We hope you will explore this opportunity ...

665. What If It Is True?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... of the world, and the darkness cannot overcome it. To believe that is to live as if the light is stronger than the darkness. To believe that is to reflect that light in our own deeds. So if there is violence, we will seek peace. If there is hatred, then we will be reconcilers. If there is corruption, then we will live lives of purity. If there is infidelity, we will be faithful. If there is sin, we will forgive. If there is despair, we will talk about hope. That is what it means to believe the light ...

666. A Discussion Among Angels

Matthew 24:36-44

Drama

Matthew Powell

... of oppression is when the strong trample the weak under their feet. The bitterness of pride is when the wise and the learned despise the simple. The crown of folly is when the rich think that they are gods ... and the poor think that God is not. Hatred, envy, and contempt are the curse of life. For these there is no remedy ... except love - the will to give and to bless, the will of God himself who gives to all and is loving to all. Raphael: (Pauses thoughtfully; his mood changes to one of discouragement ...

667. The Burglar's Christmas

Luke 15:22-24

Drama

Matthew Powell

... happiness and really meant what they said. Narrator 2: Whichever way his mind now turned, there was one thought that it could not escape, and that was the idea of food. He felt a sharp pain in the pit of his stomach. For a moment, he felt that bitter hatred of wealth, of ease, of everything that is well fed and well housed that is common to starving men. Will: At any rate, I have a right to eat! Narrator 2: He had demanded great things from the world once: fame and wealth and admiration. Now it was simply ...

668. In the Darkness of Fear, There Is the Light of Joy

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... The German commander sent a message telling the Americans to surrender. The American commander sent back a one-word message, “Nuts!” It was one of the greatest responses of military history. That is the message of Christmas for every Herod and every heartache and every hatred and every hardship and everything which would destroy you — Nuts! Or, as the angel put it, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all people.” A long time ago, on a little farm on a ...

669. Epiphany 6

Matthew 5:17-37, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; 3:1-23, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119

Bulletin Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... : "should not perish but have everlasting life." God does not soften up the reality of his judgment. To hate, despise, and reject God brings doom - perish. To perish is to die. 3. Chosen (v. 19). This pericope seems to say that life and death resulting from love or hatred of God depend on our choice. If we choose to love God, we shall be blessed. One questions the implied theology that God is not good to us, nor does he love us, only when we first are obedient to his laws. It is like telling a child that ...

670. Proper 7

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:1-14, Romans 5:12-21, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... (v. 28). The worst evil can do is to kill the body. But man is more than a body. No enemy can murder the spirit of a person. It is beyond the physical realm of man. They could crucify the body of Jesus but not his soul, which conquered the hatred that put him on the cross. Enemies could stone Stephen to death, but his spirit won out. Add to the list people like Polycarp, Joan of Arc, and William Tyndale. The one who is lord of both body and soul is God alone. Then, it would be better to fear ...

671. Proper 16

Matthew 16:13-20, Romans 11:33-36, Romans 12:1-8, Isaiah 51:1-16, Exodus 2:1-10, Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... happening in today's society. Children are abandoned on someone's doorstep, in a dumpster, and at other places. Fathers and mothers may abandon children by running off to escape unhappy family situations. Are today's latchkey kids abandoned by working parents? Hatred and selfishness cause parents to abandon their children. Not so with Moses; he was necessarily abandoned by parents who loved him. God loved the baby, too, and saved him in a spectacular way. Outline: Consider the baby in the bulrushes - a ...

672. Proper 17

Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:1-8, Romans 12:9-21, Jeremiah 14:1--15:21, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... is a normal part of living like a Christian. If so, why are Christians so infrequently persecuted for doing good? 2. Why (v. 18). When people suffer, especially if they suffer innocently, they ask God, "Why?" Jeremiah asked why he must continually experience reproach, hatred, and rejection. Jeremiah gets angry with God and accuses God of being "deceitful." It seemed to him that God called him to be a prophet, and now he felt deserted and abandoned into the hands of evil men. When misfortune strikes and we ...

673. Proper 19

Exodus 13:17--14:31, Romans 14:1--15:13, Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... . The Jews did not want to forget the Holocaust, for to forget is to forgive. This lection is needed to help us individually and nationally to forgive those who sinned against us by handling our anger. Outline: What our text tells us – a. Anger based on hatred is sin - v. 30. b. God's forgiveness follows our forgiving. 1. Forgiveness - v. 2. 2. Healing - v. 2. 3. Mercy - v. 4. c. Anger can be overcome. 1. Think of the coming judgment - v. 6. 2. Think of death - v. 6. 3. Think of the commandments ...

674. Proper 20

Exodus 16:1-36, Isaiah 55:1-13, Jonah 3:1-10, Jonah 4:1-11, Philippians 1:12-30, Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... different from ours. This truth is illustrated in today's reading, the parable of laborers in the vineyard. If God were like the world, he would not take back his enemies and freely pardon them. The world, rather, would seek revenge and treat enemies with hatred. We, by our nature, do not love or seek reconciliation. We hate and kill and never, never forgive. God is so different - thank God for that! Epistle: Philippians 1:21-27 1. Worthy (v. 27). Paul appeals to his people that they live lives "worthy ...

675. All Saints Day

Revelation 7:9-17, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... 2: 1 John 3:1-3 Because of God's love, we know now that we are his children and in the future we will be like Christ. The context indicates that Christians are in danger of being led astray. The devil has children who are known by their hatred of Christians. Over against this, Christians know they are the children of God because they love each other. Christians can guard against the devil by the knowledge that they are the children of God now, and in the future they shall be like Christ. Gospel: Matthew 5:1 ...

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